The Outside

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“The Outside” was written by Swift about loneliness. She wrote it when just she was 12 years old. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she talked about this song: … Read More

Oct. 24, 20061 viewer94.3K views

The Outside Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I didn't know what I would find
When I went looking for a reason, I know
I didn't read between the lines
And, baby, I've got nowhere to go

[Pre-Chorus]
I tried to take the road less traveled by
But nothing seems to work the first few times
Am I right?

[Chorus]
So how can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
I can still see you, this ain't the best view
On the outside looking in
I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside

[Verse 2]
You saw me there, but never knew
That I would give it all up to be
A part of this, a part of you
And now, it's all too late, so you see

[Pre-Chorus]
You could've helped if you had wanted to
But no one notices until it's too late to do anything

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[Chorus]
How can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
I can still see you, this ain't the best view
On the outside looking in
I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside

[Post-Chorus]
Oh, yeah

[Chorus]
How can I ever try to be better?
Nobody ever lets me in
And I can still see you, this ain't the best view
On the outside looking in
I've been a lot of lonely places
I've never been on the outside

[Outro]
Oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh
Oh-oh
Oh-oh

About

“The Outside” was written by Swift about loneliness. She wrote it when just she was 12 years old.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she talked about this song:

It’s about what I was going through at the time. I was a complete outcast at school and never fit in, never felt like I belonged. A lot of times back then when I was 12 or 13, I would write songs about relationships, when I wasn’t in relationships, because I would look at other people and try to observe what they were going through. But in the case of ”The Outside,” I was writing exactly what I saw. I was writing from pain. And I’ve always felt so lucky, because I’ve never needed an escape like drinking or drugs or anything like that to escape from the bad days. Music has always been that escape for me.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Taylor Swift say about "The Outside"?

This is one of the first songs I ever wrote, and it talks about the very reason I ever started to write songs. It was when I was twelve years old, and a complete outcast at school. I was a lot different than all the other kids, and I never really knew why. I was taller, and sang country music at karaoke bars and festivals on weekends while other girls went to sleepovers. Some days I woke up not knowing if anyone was going to talk to me that day. I think every person comes to a point in their life when you have a long string of bad days. You can choose to let it drag you down, or you can find ways to rise above it. I came to the conclusion that even though people hadn’t always been there for me, music had. It’s strange to think how different my life would be right now if I had been one of the cool kids.

When was this song written?

The journals released alongside Swift’s 2019 album Lover included journal entries with the lyrics to the song, dated February 13th and 14th, 2004.

Swift amusingly noted in those entries that she finished the track on Valentine’s Day because she had “nothing better to do”.

What was the secret message in the album liner notes for this song?

In the lyric booklet, Taylor declared, “you are not alone”.

Who produced “The Outside” by Taylor Swift?

When did Taylor Swift release “The Outside”?

Who wrote “The Outside” by Taylor Swift?